Customer Quote by Steve Jobs
““Some people say, "Give the customers what they want." But that's not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they're going to want before they do. I think Henry Ford once said, "If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, 'A faster horse!'" People don't know what they want until you show it to them. That's why I never rely on market research. Our task is to read things that are not yet on the page.””
About This Quote
Source Speech: Stanford Commencement Address, 2005
Innovation requires anticipating future desires, not merely responding to current demands.
In simple terms: Predict needs before they appear.
Key Takeaway
Create before customers know they need it.
Themes
innovation
vision
customer insight
leadership
Mood
inspirational
forward‑looking
Type
strategic
visionary
When to use this quote
- product development
- marketing strategy
- entrepreneurial planning
Key Concepts
future forecasting
design thinking
disruptive strategy
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you balance intuition with data?
- What signals indicate emerging needs?
A Different Perspective
Relying solely on prediction can miss unexpected market shifts.
